Garage Shelving – An Overview of Freestanding and Wall Mounted Options
Garage shelving is a simple and inexpensive way to create space in your garage for a workshop, play area or man cave and to keep your home and garden tools and supplies organized. Shelving creates vertical storage and keeps your household items off the floor. Shelving made of dimensional lumber and plywood and mounted with heavy metal brackets is an easy DIY project, but if you are not handy with tools or don’t care to create your own shelving, you can buy wall-mounted shelving or freestanding shelving units.
Wall-Mounted Shelves
Wall-mounted garage shelving is made of materials such as wire and steel. Heavy-duty wire shelving specifically designed for garages is a good choice. Some wire shelving units have a plastic coating for protections against rust and corrosion. The open wire construction facilitates air circulation around your stored items and minimizes mold and mildew. Wall-mounted shelving can typically hold up a maximum of 100 lbs. per linear foot.
If you just need one or two shelves, consider stainless steel shelves made by Seville Classics or KegWorks, single shelf wall mounts by Quantum, or a Go Rhino gallon storage shelf. Quantum also makes adjustable multiple shelf wall mounts. Unless otherwise specified in the product description, you will also need to buy heavy-duty brackets for mounting the shelves.
Another option for garage shelving is Slatwall, which comes in materials such as melamine, high pressure laminate, wood veneer and mirror plex and is available in standard 8 foot lengths as well as custom lengths. You can buy standard or adjustable shelving brackets that will fit in the panel grooves and mount your shelves. Slatwall can also be used to hang baskets and hooks which will allow you to store additional items. Learn more in this Garage Mahal video:
Freestanding Shelves
Freestanding shelving units come in materials such as resin, steel, wire and wood and have the added benefit of allowing you to store your items away from supporting structures and walls. Some units are portable and have locking-caster wheels to lock them in place. Another advantage of freestanding garage shelving is that you can position the units to segment off space for a laundry room, workshop or play area.
Heavy-duty shelving brands include Gorilla, Edsal, Workforce and Plano. These units typically come ready to assemble and have three to five adjustable shelves that are 3 to 6 feet wide. Expect to pay more for steel than for plastic.
Getting Your Garage Ready
Before heading out to the stores, make sure to take time first to get rid of anything you or your family no longer want. Think about which items are seasonal and can be stored away and what is used frequently and requires easy access. Take precise measurements of your garage, including floor space, doors and windows. Lastly, consider your style preferences before you buy your garage shelving.
